Storage containers are a familiar site at Nome’s Small Boat Harbor on the west side of town. But two of those containers are unlike the others. Each weighs a massive 50,000 pounds, and houses Nome’s new battery energy storage system, or BESS for short.
BESS is made of an array of lithium-ion batteries as well as inverters and transformers used to convert energy.
Nome Joint Utility System Superintendent, Thomas Simonsson said in an email that the system connects with Nome’s existing mix of energy sources — a blend of diesel and wind.
He said the batteries allow Nome’s utility to capture and store the wind energy for future use, while reducing wear and tear on their diesel generators.
The new battery system was first commissioned in October of last year, when a two-hour, community-wide power outage allowed the utility to connect BESS with its main power plant. Phase two of commissioning took place this summer, when the old power plant and the BESS, along with its wind turbines, worked together to supply Nome’s energy load.
Nome's utility operates two wind turbines that produce enough power at peak capacity to power almost half the city.
Simonsson said that while diesel will remain in the mix, their long term strategy is to integrate solar power with the BESS’ batteries, to get even more power from renewable energy.
“While it may not be visible day-to-day, the BESS is an important tool that makes our system more resilient and helps buffer Nome residents from the volatility of fuel prices,” Superintendent Thomas Simonsson said through an email.
He said the BESS’ containerized design makes it ideal for remote settings like Nome, but also a good model for other rural Alaska communities as well.
